Maya, Cipher, and Iris sat in the storage room. Although it also looked as abandoned as the workshop, it at least didn’t have any live wires hanging around.
"What kind of equipment were you looking for?" Iris asked as she wiped soot off her face.
"We have a Magic Swordsman, so a good sword. We also have a tank, so maybe a shield and a heavy sword. As for our healer..." He turned to look at Maya. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I’m a healer. I don’t know how to use any weapons," she said.
"Give her a sidearm. It’s good for unexpected situations," he said.
Iris nodded. "What about you? Do you also want a sword?" she asked.
"No, I already have a good sword," he said. The sword from the Heavenly Demon was quite good. "Maybe some throwing daggers and a sidearm," he said.
"A sidearm for you?" she asked.
"That’s right. I awakened a gun-related skill and a flight skill. Thought I could use a gun to hunt from afar," he said.
She nodded, not asking any questions.
"Then what you need is a rifle." She got up. "You’re in luck..."
Iris pressed a button on the wall and a cabinet opened. A robotic arm came out, holding a huge rifle.
"What do you think? This is the Vanguard-PEM v7. Bullpup configuration, semi-automatic with a 20-round magazine. Chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum for maximum stopping power at range. Features an integrated smart optic with variable magnification - 3x to 18x - with automatic range-finding and wind compensation. The barrel is free-floating, cold-hammer forged, with a proprietary nano-coating that prevents overheating even under sustained fire. Comes with a modular suppressor that reduces muzzle flash by 95% and sound signature by 80 decibels. The adjustable bipod deploys in 0.3 seconds and..."
"Calm down, calm down," he stopped her before she could continue. She looked as though she could go on forever. "Isn’t this a little overkill?" he asked, looking at the firearm nervously. It seemed quite heavy.
"Not overkill at all. You need at least this to be able to safely take out monsters from the air," she said.
"Alright, I’ll take it then," he said, walking over to the gun and placing his hand on it. It disappeared into his inventory.
Iris’s eyes widened upon seeing this, but she remained silent.
"As for the other equipment..." She pressed a few buttons, and the other items came out.
"Maya, take these to the others and meet me at the internal training zone. I’ll teach you how to use the firearm as well as ask for your help with something else," he said.
"Alright," she said, picking up the equipment and bowing before leaving.
After she was gone, Iris spoke up. "Do you have a space-related skill?" she asked.
"That’s right. I awakened it recently. It’s part of the reason I came here," he said. "You have a list of valuable items in the apocalypse worlds, right? I’d like to see it so I can bring them out if I come across them when raiding."
She looked at him. Cipher really cared about the Association - he didn’t even ask for benefits. She pressed another button and a book came out.
"This is everything I have recorded. There are obviously other valuable items, but..." she spoke.
"I understand," Cipher said as he took the book.
Finally, he thought. He could use the book and add all these items to his ESP filters, meaning he wouldn’t miss any valuables.
"For valuables, you have to give fifty percent of what you get to the Association as tax and keep the rest for yourself or exchange for valuables in the Association," she said. "Of course, for you, the conditions can be discussed..."
He raised his hand. "No need. I’m okay with the terms," he said.
"Alright," she said.
"Well, I won’t hold you any longer. You can continue your work," he said as he turned around to leave.
"Wait, what about the appraisal?" she asked.
"I’m busy at the moment. I’ll come back again later," he said before leaving.
...
In the training area, Cipher easily blasted through a training dummy. He looked at his smoking gun. There was no way he could test his aim with this - it destroyed everything.
He stored it in his inventory and brought out the throwing daggers he had gotten. They were slightly different from the dagger he had before in that the quality was higher, but also they had optimizations that made them great for throwing.
He observed his target, then threw one of the daggers. As he was about to release, he felt his muscles twist slightly, and he let go. The dagger flew straight and landed right on the forehead of the training dummy, causing the display to show 98 points.
"Hmmm, it perfects the aim but doesn’t interfere with the skill," he muttered. If he threw the dagger properly using the Dagger Throw skill, he should be able to throw it much better. He decided to keep that in mind - to train his throwing skills so he could do so with Mana Manipulation without requiring the expensive Dagger Throw skill.
At that moment, he heard footsteps from behind.
"You’re here," he spoke, turning around.
"Yeah. I delivered the equipment," Maya said. "What did you need my help with?" she asked.
"That can wait. Let’s teach you how to use a firearm first," Cipher said.
Although he wasn’t a professional marksman, he knew the basics.
Towards the end of the apocalypse, the situation had become so bad that all civilians were required to have some gun skills to defend themselves. Since his awakening was glitched, he was among these civilians.
Not that it ever amounted to anything, as the monsters easily tanked the bullets.
An hour later.
"That’s about it. Now you should be able to defend yourself against any sudden attacks," he said. "You can continue to practice to train your aim, but I wouldn’t recommend it."
"Why not? Isn’t it good to have good aim?" she asked.
"It is, but not for you," he said. "The gun is for just in case. Usually, Dante and the other tanks will keep you safe in battle. In case they’re compromised, the enemy will be close to you, and you can use the gun to hit them. You don’t need perfect aim from this close."
He paused. "The main reason I advise against training your aim is because I don’t want you to forget your purpose. You’re still a healer first. Training aim takes time away from healer training. Do you understand?"
She nodded. "I understand."
"But this is all just my thoughts. Feel free to do what you want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your healing skills - that will hurt the team’s bottom line," he said.